After several years at a disadvantage, Boeing concluded the Dubai Airshow by obtaining a huge number of orders, equivalent to more than three times the total number of aircraft announced by Airbus.
The US planemaker received 218 firm orders plus purchase options from seven customers. The European company managed to negotiate 66 aircraft, but 11 of them are still a purchase commitment and therefore not yet confirmed.
The difference would have been smaller if Emirates Airlines had not backtracked on a potential order for 20 A350-1000s. The carrier, however, suspended the agreement due to differences with Rolls-Royce, supplier of Trent engines.
Boeing, however, went through the days of the Dubai Airshow being the main star of the event in the Middle East. On Monday there are announcements of the sale of 45 737 MAX to SunExpress followed by the huge agreement for 90 jets from the 777X family with Emirates Airline.
The Dubai-based carrier has ordered 55 777-9 and 35 777-8 in addition to expanding the deal to the 787 Dreamliner, with 20 787-8 and 15 787-10 in place of the original 30 787-9.
Minutes later, Boeing announced an order for 30 787-9s for flydubai, its first widebodies. There was still time to add six 787-9s in agreements with Royal Jordanian (four aircraft) and Royal Air Maroc (two jets).
On November 14, the company sold seven more 737 Max 8 jets to SCAT Airlines, from Kazakhstan, and then revealed another large order, this time from Ethiopian Airlines, which ordered 20 737 MAX and 11 787-9 Dreamliner, in addition to 36 purchase options.
Airbus without agreements for the A320neo family
Airbus’ performance, on the other hand, was quite disappointing. At the opening of the Dubai Airshow, a good order for 30 A220-300 jets was made by airBaltic, from Latvia, but that was it.
The following day, EgyptAir announced an order for 10 A350-900s while on Wednesday Ethiopian Airlines confirmed its interest in having a further 11 aircraft of the same model. But it was a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), yet to be ratified.
The suspension of the agreement with Emirates on Tuesday ended up frustrating a great moment for the European manufacturer. It was speculated that there would be an order for 35 A350s, including the A350-100 variant, but talks ended up suspended.
On Thursday, at the end of the air show, Airbus and Emirates agreed to expand the order for A350-900s to 65 aircraft, 15 more than before.
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The biggest absence, however, involved the A320neo family, the most successful on the market. Airbus was unable to close any new orders for the series, even though it has the most popular passenger jet at the moment, the A321neo.
Check out Boeing and Airbus orders at Dubai Airshow 2023:
| Boeing | Airbus | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Customer | Qt. | Model | Qt. | Model |
| Ethiopian Airlines | 20 | 737 Max 8 | ||
| Ethiopian Airlines | 15 | 787-9 | ||
| airBaltic | 30 | A220-300 | ||
| SunExpress | 28 | 737 Max 8 | ||
| SunExpress | 17 | 737 Max 10 | ||
| Emirates Airlines | 35 | 777-8 | ||
| Emirates Airlines | 55 | 777-9 | ||
| Emirates Airlines | 5 | 787 | ||
| flydubai | 30 | 787-9 | ||
| EgyptAir | 10 | A350-900 | ||
| Emirates Airlines | 15 | A350-900 | ||
| SCAT Airlines | 7 | 737 Max 8 | ||
| Royal Jordanian | 4 | 787-9 | ||
| Royal Air Maroc | 2 | 787-9 | ||
| Ethiopian Airlines | 11 | A350-900 | ||
| Total | 218 | 66 |
